Questions · Middle school students

Questions for middle school students that nobody has to be cool about

For teachers, youth leaders and parents of 11- to 14-year-olds: imaginative what-ifs, funny stories that are safe to tell, questions about friends and fitting in, and a few about what they’re proud of.

  • 17 questions
  • EN + TL on every card
  • Free in the app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.

Barkada№ 58

How could you help a friend who was new to a school or neighborhood?

Paano mo matutulungan ang friend na bago sa isang school o lugar?

Tap to flipkumustahan
A note

Being shown where things are or having someone stay nearby — either might help.

Puwedeng makatulong ang ituro kung nasaan ang mga bagay o ang samahan lang sila.

Tap to returnkumustahan

The questions

17 questions for middle school students

Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.

Imagine if

5 questions

Funny without any risk. The answers are often hilarious.

  1. If you could spend a day as any animal, which would you choose?

    Kung puwede kang maging hayop nang isang araw, anong hayop ang pipiliin mo?

    Back of the card

    Imagine your first meal as that animal. Where would you look for it?

    Isipin ang unang pagkain mo bilang hayop na iyon. Saan mo ito hahanapin?

  2. If you could understand one kind of animal, which would you choose?

    Kung maiintindihan mo ang isang klase ng hayop, ano ang pipiliin mo?

    Back of the card

    Imagine the animal gets to ask you something too. What might it ask?

    Isipin na may tanong din sa'yo ang hayop. Ano kaya iyon?

  3. You wake up on a peaceful island with food and shelter ready. What do you do first?

    Nagising ka sa tahimik na isla na may pagkain at matutuluyan na. Ano ang una mong gagawin?

    Back of the card

    Imagine you find a path across the island. Would you follow it or stay where you are?

    May nakita kang daan sa isla. Susundan mo ba ito o mananatili ka muna sa kinaroroonan mo?

  4. Which everyday invention from the future would you most want to see?

    Anong pang-araw-araw na gamit mula sa future ang gusto mong makita?

    Back of the card

    Give the invention a name people could remember.

    Bigyan ang imbensiyon ng pangalang madaling tandaan.

  5. What comic-book hero name would fit something you are good at?

    Anong comic-book hero name ang bagay sa talento mo?

    Back of the card

    What problem would your hero solve?

    Anong problema ang kayang ayusin ng hero mo?

Funny and a little embarrassing

5 questions

Works only if the adult goes first.

  1. Rate your normal-day clumsiness from 1 to 5, then share one example.

    I-rate from 1 to 5 kung gaano ka ka-clumsy on a normal day, tapos mag-share ng isang example.

    Back of the card

    Clumsiness has a range, and honesty makes the rating better. One good example can turn any score into evidence.

    May range ang clumsiness, at mas funny kapag honest. Isang good example lang, kahit anong score may ebidensya.

  2. Name one item you always seem to lose, like keys, earphones, a pen, a charger, or your wallet.

    Magbanggit ng isang item na parang lagi mong nawawala, like susi, earphones, pen, charger, o wallet.

    Back of the card

    Some items have a talent for vanishing at the worst time. At some point, it starts to feel like a relationship issue.

    May items na ang galing mawala sa worst time. Dumadating sa point na parang relationship issue na siya.

  3. Choose your default reaction when something embarrassing happens.

    Piliin yung default reaction mo kapag may nakakahiya na nangyari.

    Back of the card

    Embarrassing moments reveal our automatic settings. Laugh, freeze, explain, escape: every reaction has its own logic.

    Lumalabas yung automatic settings natin kapag nakakahiya. Tawa, freeze, explain, takas: may logic lahat yan.

  4. Name a word or line you misheard that made the conversation funny.

    Magbanggit ng word o line na mali mong narinig at naging funny yung usapan.

    Back of the card

    Mishearing one word can send a conversation somewhere else completely. Sometimes the mistake is funnier than the original point.

    Isang maling dinig lang, ibang direction na yung usapan. Minsan mas funny pa yung mali kaysa original point.

  5. Share a small mistake or awkward moment that feels funny now.

    Mag-share ng small mistake o awkward moment na funny na ngayon.

    Back of the card

    A small fail gets lighter once it becomes a story. Sometimes the best part is realizing everyone survives awkward little moments.

    Gumagaan yung small fail kapag naging kuwento na. Minsan best part yung ma-realize na nakakalusot naman tayo sa awkward moments.

Friends and fitting in

4 questions

Practice the answers before they need them.

  1. You and a friend want different snacks. What would you do?

    Magkaiba kayo ng friend mo ng gustong snack. Ano ang gagawin mo?

    Back of the card

    Same choice every time, or would it depend on the day?

    Pareho ba ang gagawin mo palagi, o depende sa araw?

  2. How could you help a friend who was new to a school or neighborhood?

    Paano mo matutulungan ang friend na bago sa isang school o lugar?

    Back of the card

    Being shown where things are or having someone stay nearby — either might help.

    Puwedeng makatulong ang ituro kung nasaan ang mga bagay o ang samahan lang sila.

  3. When learning something new, what help do you like from a friend?

    Kapag may bago kang inaaral, anong tulong ang gusto mo mula sa friend?

    Back of the card

    Show me once, let me try, or stay beside me — which help would you choose?

    Ipakita muna, hayaan akong sumubok, o samahan ako — alin ang pipiliin mong tulong?

  4. How can friends tell when you are excited about something?

    Paano nahahalata ng friends na excited ka sa isang bagay?

    Back of the card

    Think of the sign you notice in yourself before anyone else does.

    Isipin ang senyales na napapansin mo sa sarili mo bago pa mapansin ng iba.

Proud of

3 questions

Thank them for the answer. Don’t grade it.

  1. Tell us about a small thing you can do now that would have amazed you as a kid.

    Kuwento mo yung maliit na bagay na kaya mo na ngayon na maa-amaze ka kung bata ka pa.

    Back of the card

    Progress can look ordinary from the outside. But younger you might know exactly how big that ordinary thing is.

    Mukhang ordinaryo minsan ang progress. Pero baka alam ng batang ikaw kung gaano kalaki yung ordinaryong bagay na yan.

  2. Which compliment have you remembered long after someone said it?

    Anong compliment ang tumatak sa'yo kahit matagal na itong sinabi?

    Back of the card

    The exact words are optional. Notice which part of the compliment stayed with you.

    Hindi kailangan ang eksaktong salita. Balikan kung aling bahagi ng papuri ang tumatak sa'yo.

  3. What do you like more about yourself than you used to?

    Ano ang mas nagugustuhan mo sa sarili mo kaysa dati?

    Back of the card

    Would you appreciate the same thing in another person? Your story can stay private.

    Magugustuhan mo rin ba iyon sa ibang tao? Puwedeng itago ang sarili mong kuwento.

How to use them

Before you ask

Middle schoolers love questions that let them be funny without risking anything. At this age everyone is watching everyone, and a question that might expose them, even a harmless one, gets a shrug. A question about understanding one kind of animal or touring the bottom of the ocean gets a real answer, often a hilarious one.

Funny-embarrassing stories work surprisingly well if the adult goes first. A clumsy moment, a misheard word, the item they always lose: once the teacher admits to theirs, the room relaxes. Then ask about friends. Middle school is when friendships get complicated, and a question about helping a new kid, or what to do when a friend wants a different snack, lets them practice the answer before they need it.

End on pride. Ask what they like more about themselves than they used to, and don’t comment on the answer. Just thank them.

Good for

  • Middle school advisory and homeroom
  • Youth group for sixth to eighth grade
  • After-school programs
  • Car rides with tweens
  • The first week of middle school

Tips

  1. Go first, and be willing to give the funniest-worst answer.
  2. Use small groups; whole-class sharing is high stakes at this age.
  3. Never put one student on the spot by name for a personal question.
  4. Leave crushes, looks and popularity off the list entirely.

Decks for this

Middle school students

Frequently asked questions

What questions should you ask middle school students?

Imaginative what-ifs, safe funny stories like a misheard word or the thing they always lose, questions about friends and helping a new kid, and something they’re proud of. Avoid looks, crushes and popularity.

How do you get middle schoolers to participate?

Share your own answer first, ideally a funny one, use small groups, and pick questions with no wrong answer. Moving activities like this-or-that corners help too.

What are good icebreakers for middle school?

Which animal they’d understand, a safe tour of space or the ocean floor, an invention from the future, a superhero name for something they’re good at. Funny and safe for every kid.

Bring a better question to the table.

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